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Kinney County, Texas
Kinney County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 3,379. Its seat is Brackettville . Kinney County is named for Henry Lawrence Kinney, an early settler. Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.14%) is water. Major highways * U.S. Highway 90 * State Highway 134 Adjacent counties and municipios *Edwards County (north) *Uvalde County (east) *Maverick County (south) *Val Verde County (west) *Jiménez, Coahuila, Mexico (southwest) Demographics As of the census of 2000, there were 3,379 people, 1,314 households, and 940 families residing in the county. The population density was 2 people per square mile (1/km²). There were 1,907 housing units at an average density of 1 per square mile (1/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 75.82% White, 1.69% Black or African American, 0.33% Native American, 0.12% Asian, 18.61% from other races, and 3.43% from two or more races. 50.52% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 1,314 households out of which 27.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.80% were married couples living together, 6.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.40% were non-families. 26.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.10. In the county, the population was spread out with 25.70% under the age of 18, 5.30% from 18 to 24, 21.50% from 25 to 44, 23.10% from 45 to 64, and 24.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 99.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.00 males. The median income for a household in the county was $28,320, and the median income for a family was $32,045. Males had a median income of $26,422 versus $16,250 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,350. About 19.20% of families and 24.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.00% of those under age 18 and 16.10% of those age 65 or over. History Native Americans First inhabitants were 6,000-10,000 years ago and later came to include Lipan Apache, Mescalaro Apache, Coahuiltecan, Jumanos, Tamaulipans, Tonkawa and Comanches. These tribes settled in rockshelters in the river and creek valleys, leaving behind artifacts and caches of seeds, implements, burial sites, and petroglyphs. Early Explorations Saltillo alcade Fernando de Azcué in 1665 cut across the southeast corner of the county on an expedition, becoming the first European to cross the Rio Grande. Franciscan Brother Manuel de la Cruz explored the county in 1674. In 1675 Fernando del Bosque traversed the area on an expedition up the Rio Grande from the city of Nuestra Sra. de Guadalupe. He was accompanied by the Franciscan Friars Juan Larios and Dionisio de San Buenaventura. Alonso De León in 1688 discovered French explorer and La Salle expedition deserter Jean Henri in a somewhat confused state of mind, among the Coahuiltecan Indians near the site of present Brackettville, generally believed to be at Anacacho Mountain. During the latter eighteenth century several Franciscans established a settlement on Las Moras Creek near the center of the county. In 1834, English land speculators John Charles Beales and James Grant attempted to establish an English-speaking colony called Dolores at the site. Streets were laid off and fifty-nine colonists were brought in, but the project was abandoned. County Established The state legislature formed Kinney County from Bexar County in 1850 and named it for Henry Lawrence Kinney. The United States Army established Fort Clark in June 1852 on Las Moras Creek, and named it after John B. Clark, who had died in the Mexican War. Brackettville was founded in 1852 originally as the town of Brackett and named for Oscar B. Brackett, who came to set up a stage stop and opened the town's first dry-goods store. Brackett became a stop on a stage line from San Antonio to El Paso, but the settlement grew very slowly because of continuous Indian attacks. The town received its first post office in 1875. On February 18, 1861, on orders from United States Army General David E. Twiggs, Fort Clark was surrendered to the Texas Commission. Twiggs was dismissed by the United States for the act, and subsequently joined the Confederacy. The fort was evacuated by federal troops on March 19 and occupied by Confederate troops under the command of Confederate Colonel John R. Baylor. It remained in the hands of the Confederates until the end of the war, but was not garrisoned. In December 1866 it was reestablished as a federal fort. Black Seminoles In the early 1872 a number of Black Seminole Indians living along the border were organized into a company of scouts and brought to Fort Clark. Others joined them, and by the mid-1870s they numbered some 400 or 500. For the next quarter century they lived on a reservation along Las Moras Creek. In 1914 the Black Seminoles were removed from the Fort Clark reservation, but some of their descendants still live in the county. The Seminole Indian Scouts cemetery was founded on Fort Clark in 1872. County Organized and Growth The county was organized in 1874. 1875 saw the first county government in place. In 1876 Brackettville was designated county seat after the final boundaries of the county were set by the legislature. In 1870 the county had 14,846 cattle, and large numbers of cattle were driven north during the great drives of the middle 1870s. By1880 sheep outnumbered cattle 55,597 to 7,966, and Kinney County became an important source of wool. The construction of the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railway in 1883 gave the wool and mohair industry access to markets. At the same time it also helped to bring in numerous new settlers. In 1925 a branch line of the Texas and New Orleans Railroad was built from near Spofford to connect with the Mexican National Railroad at the Rio Grande. A large Civilian Conservation Corps camp constructed adjacent to Fort Clark helped to employ some people during the Great Depression. With the onset of World War II wool and mohair were in demand for the defense industries. Fort Clark was closed in 1946. James T. “Happy” Shahan constructed Alamo Village on his ranch near Bracketville during the late 1950s, for filming of the 1960 John Wayne epic ''The Alamo''. Preserved as a tourist attraction, Alamo Village continued to serve as a set for hundreds of movies and documentaries. In 1969, Happy Shahan hired 18-year-old Johnny Rodriguez to sing at Alamo Village, an opportunity that rocketed Rodriguez to stardom. Kickapoo Cavern State Park, in both Edwards and Kinney County, opened to the public in 1991. Formerly a private ranch. The Kinney County Groundwater Conservation District was approved by the voters in 2002. Cities and towns *Brackettville *Spofford *Fort Clark Springs See also *National Register of Historic Places listings in Kinney County, Texas References External links *Kinney County government's website * *Kinney County Public Library Category:Counties of Texas Category:Kinney County, Texas Category:Established in 1850